Field notes from the Canadian border.
Practical playbooks and case studies from our brokers. No thought-leadership fluff — just the stuff we wish every importer knew before they called us in a panic.
Transpacific rate jumps and what they mean for your Canadian CAD timeline
Drewry's 23% week-over-week container rate spike shows early peak season has arrived. For Canadian importers filing CADs under CARM, the pressure shifts from ocean cost to release speed and RPP bond headroom.
Read article →What Walmart+ Canada tells us about cross-border e-commerce clearance and last-mile duty risk
Walmart+ Canada's $89 annual unlimited delivery model puts serious pressure on same-day clearance and duty transparency. For brokers and importers feeding that kind of volume, CAD accuracy and RPP bond sizing are no longer monthly housekeeping — they're real-time risk.
Read article →Capacity Shifts in Asia-Europe Trade and What Canadian Importers Should Watch
Global containership capacity grew 5.7% in twelve months, with most of it absorbed by Asia-Europe and African routes. Canadian importers sourcing from China and Southeast Asia need to understand how these deployment patterns affect transit times, carrier space availability, and CAD filing deadlines on the transpacific.
Read article →CBSA Criminal Investigations Are Not Customs Audits
A Vancouver firearms seizure reminds importers why CBSA's criminal investigation program sits in a different risk category than routine verification. The agency's arrest and search warrant authority still surprises people.
Read article →CBSA EDI and eManifest Portal Delays: What One to Three Hours Actually Costs You
CBSA's ongoing EDI and eManifest portal message delays are running one to three hours as of June 3. For brokers filing CADs and carriers transmitting ACI, that gap hits release windows, drayage schedules, and RPP bond exposure differently depending on your filing pattern.
Read article →CBSA Scheduled Maintenance June 4 — Why the
CBSA maintenance windows say no planned outage, but unplanned interruptions happen. Here's what brokers and importers should have ready when CARM, eManifest, or FIRMS go dark mid-shift.
Read article →CBSA Terminates CVD, Confirms Dumping on Chinese Truck Bodies — What That Means for Your June 2026 CADs
CBSA closed the subsidy file on Chinese truck bodies but issued a final dumping determination. If you're importing 8707.90 bodies or chassis, here's how to file CADs correctly, what anti-dumping duties apply, and when CITT provisional duties convert to final collection.
Read article →Duty drawback and refund mechanisms for Canadian importers: what Deere's $272M claim tells us
Deere's quarter-billion-dollar tariff refund highlights duty drawback and mitigation tools Canadian importers rarely use. We break down the CBSA refund mechanisms, CUSMA drawback rules, and where most importers leave money on the table.
Read article →US Executive Order on Customs Enforcement: What Canadian Importers Need to Watch
US CBP's new enforcement push on importer-of-record compliance and duty evasion may look like a domestic issue, but Canadian brokers are already seeing upstream ripple effects in CBSA verification, SIMA referrals, and NRI penalty exposure.
Read article →When transpacific spot rates swing, your CAD filings don't wait
Transpacific ocean rates spiked after Hormuz closed, then collapsed again within two weeks. Canadian importers watching contract renegotiations still face the same CBSA CAD deadlines, the same CUSMA origin verification windows, and the same duty liability whether the box cost $4,000 or $7,000 to move.
Read article →